A Very Merry Christmas
by musicalfreak86
Summary: A little Christmas fic about how Joanne and Maureen met. MoJo
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey! I know that this is a Christmas fic, but I've had it in my head for a while now, and thought it couldn't hurt, even though it isn't the 'holiday season' anymore. I'm thinking that this will be about ten chapters, but that could always change. Also, the title was inspired by John Lennon's 'Happy Christmas, War Is Over' which I seem to be obsessed with right now. This story is a little A/U, as everybody already knows each other, except Joanne, and a few other things, but just ignore them and enjoy the story. Kay?  
So, without further ado, the fic!**

** I do not own Rent.  
**

Joanne Jefferson was a lawyer. A very well known and respected lawyer. Whenever someone had a case that they really cared about and wanted care put into, they brought it to her. They knew that she would put her whole self into it until it was finished.

But it was almost Christmas, and Joanne had just finished one last case before taking off for the holidays. Being a lawyer, she had come to appreciate what little holiday time she was given, because quite often she would be called in at random times to help someone. This was why Joanne always made sure she stayed in New York during the holidays. Getting a reputation of always being there when she was needed was partially what got Joanne all her cases.

So of of course, this posed a problem when her parents called up and said that they were going to California to see her grandparents.

"Why can't you come along Joanne?" her mother inquired over the phone to her very shocked daughter.

"I've told you Mom, I have to stay in town because of work."

"But can't you get out of work this once? Just to visit your grandparents? They would love to see you."

Joanne shook her head. Her mother never seemed to understand how important her work was. "I can't Mom, I really need to stay here. I'm sorry. Have fun in California, and tell Grandma and Grampa that I'm sorry I couldn't come. Merry Christmas."

She talked to her father briefly as well, and after wishing him a Merry Christmas as well, hung up the phone and sank into a chair.

She had always spent Christmas with her parents. Every year, without fail. It was strange to think about how this year would be different. It shook her to have her plans thrown off so suddenly and thoroughly.

Joanne shook her head and laughed at herself. She was too easily fazed by change. She assumed that was the lawyer in her; she had to have everything just so.

She chuckled and stood up, calling her cat and heading to her room to get ready for bed.


	2. Chapter 2

****

Sorry it was a bit of a wait on this chapter, but I'm a little slow on getting these things out. :D I'm a perfectionist, so you'll have to bear with me.

Also, can anyone guess where I got the cat's name from?

Christmas morning, Joanne awoke later than she usually did. Getting up, she quickly readied herself for the day, even though she knew she didn't need to go into work.

She took her time fixing herself breakfast, and giving her cat, Jiji, his cat food. There was no reason to hurry today. She was going to enjoy this time off as much as her boss would let her.

She happily settled into her food, ready for a relaxing day without any cases to worry over. That is, until she saw the light on the answering machine blinking. She groaned aloud as she made her way over to it, dreading the message.

Joanne came into her apartment that evening angry at everything. She was angry at her parents for leaving her on Christmas. She was angry at her boss because he was obnoxious. She was angry at herself for choosing to become a lawyer. She was even angry at Jiji because he had spilled his water on the kitchen floor.

But she couldn't stay mad at the cat for long, and was soon sitting on the couch with him and a blanket in her lap. There was a pot of water heating on the stove for some hot cocoa.

She had planned to just end a lousy Christmas by sitting around with the cat and drinking cocoa all night. She wondered how she had gotten herself into this position. Joanne Jefferson's schedule was never out of whack. But somehow it had ended up that way, and here she was, moping around, alone on Christmas day with only a cat for company.

She found herself thinking about other people who didn't have anyone to spend Christmas with. She wondered what they did. She knew that there were hundreds of homeless people on the streets no matter what time of year is was. They were always there; eventually blending in with the scenery until no one really noticed them anymore.

There were also the people who did have friends, but not much money to live off of. The kinds of people who lived in cheap lofts in the worse parts of Alphabet City. Joanne knew that even if she _was_ alone for Christmas, at least she had somewhere warm to stay where the power wasn't constantly being shut off because she couldn't pay the rent.

She had seen some of these very people last year on her way to her parents' house for Christmas dinner.

She had been walking because she didn't like the subway, and her path had taken her through one of the poorer parts of Alphabet City. She had passes a small café, and paused at one of it's windows. It was called the Life, and was lit up like Christmas itself; open when everything else was closed. It didn't make sense to her. Surely the owner had just left the lights on because it looked festive? No one would really want to spend their Christmas in a café, would they? Even if there _were _people, it didn't seem as if there would be anyone willing to spend their holiday working there.

She had peered into one of the windows to see that it was, indeed, full. It surprised her quite a bit.

There had been people sitting around some tables that were pushed together in the middle of the room. They were all laughing at one of the men who was standing on the tables and appeared to be making some sort of speech. They all looked so happy; positively glowing with excitement and the strung Christmas lights in the café.

Joanne had watched for as long as she dared, not only wanting to avoid being spotted, but also not wanting to get too drawn in, knowing that if she did, she would find herself entering just to watch the people more closely and feel like a part of the fun. She finally tore herself away from the window, heading on to her parents' house. She told herself to forget the scene entirely, reminding herself that she had a great situation with her parents, and that she was silly to wish that she had no where to go for Christmas.

She had managed to convince herself that she was happy where she was, but she found herself oddly bored for the rest of the holiday. The memory, though, was stored away, and remembered on nights spent alone, wondering if she was really as happy with her life as she claimed.

Sitting at home, Joanne mused over the scene, remembering how genuinely happy they had looked, and how much she had wanted to be included at that moment. She had never felt that way before, and had been confused. She never wanted to be included with other people who were less fortunate than her; she was too happy with her life. But the feeling had been so strong...

"Up Jiji," she said to the cat, gently nudging him off her lap. She grabbed her coat off its hook by the door and pulled it on. She didn't know what had made her decide to head down to the Life, but she wondered if it really was the right thing to do, or if she was getting in too far above her head.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this is so short. It's really just a filler chapter. The next one is going to be a bit longer, I promise. :D**

Joanne walked down the street to the life, shivering though she was wearing her thick coat. She turned the corner, holding her breath in anticipation of whether or not the café would be open.

But there it was, open and lit just as it had been the year before. She hurried inside, oddly nervous of the people looking at her. She knew that they could not care less who she was or why she was there on Christmas, but it still made her feel self-concious.

Walking though the café, Joanne found a seat in the back corner. It was quiet there, and she could see the snow that blanketed the ground through one of the big windows. She ordered a cocoa and finally got a good look at the café.

It was quite a bit bigger than she had originally thought. There were a lot of large tables spaced around the room, and Christmas lights had been hung around the walls. There were people sitting around the bar, laughing and joking with each other. Everyone looked so happy, and Joanne still couldn't understand why. Weren't they spending Christmas alone?

But as she looked around the café, she realized that there was no reason to be unhappy. The people there were there all had friends. Even the people who were sitting alone looked like they were enjoying themselves just watching.

Even Joanne felt her spirits rising. The café had some sort of influence on her, and she began feeling the happiness that everyone else was experiencing.

The waitress brought Joanne her cocoa, and she began drinking, feeling herself immediately relax. She sank into the warmth of the café, and the chatter around her, finally very glad that she had come.

Suddenly, the bell on the door jingled, and the noise in the café increased greatly.

**Next chapter: Joanne sees the Bohos for the first time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok, this is a little longer at least. :D Please enjoy! I'm getting the chapters done a little faster now that I'm not so busy. Sorry they're all so short, but this was originally a one-shot, but it got too long. So now it's a multi-chapter with really short chapters. :D**

Joanne turned in her seat to find the source of the sudden noise increase. The door had opened, and a flurry of snow entered with a group of people. They were laughing and trying to get inside fast to avoid the cold. One of the people in the group shut the door quickly to keep the frigid air out of the café.

The group slowly discarded unneeded garments, brushing snow off of each other's shoulders, laughing all the while. As hats and coats were removed, Joanne's eyes widened in shock. This was the group she had seen last year on Christmas.

As Joanne watched, random people started jumping up and pushing tables together. Others rolled their eyes and groaned aloud, and some even rose and abruptly left the café. But the group seemed oblivious to all these reactions, as they sat at the tables. Their conversation was very animated, and there was a blond man with glasses and a scarf filming the whole thing.

Joanne sat for a while, quietly sipping her cocoa and watching them interestedly. After the initial shock, she realized that it was nice to finally be on the inside; to see them and know what they were like after remembering them only as an image through a window for a year. It gave her an odd cozy feeling, even though she was not a part of their group. In fact, she was the only person left in the café that was not sitting at the long row of tables. Everyone else had either joined them at their table or left in a huff.

She banished the thought however, when one of the men in the group actually stood up on one of the tables. Joanne watched, a little shocked that the management had not kicked them out yet. But some of the waiters were watching from the kitchen door, grinning as though this was a natural occurrence. Remembering how she had seen one of the men on the table the year before, Joanne looked back to the group and waited to see what would happen next. Last year she had not stayed long enough to see what the man was actually _doing_ up on the table, and was interested to finally find out.

The person on the table was a big black man with a deep voice that somehow made her feel comforted, even at her own lonely table. Joanne couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but she did catch the name 'Maureen,' and the phrase 'successful protest for gay rights.'

Joanne found herself startled as the man got down and a woman took his place on the table. Gay rights? This had taken an interesting turn. Joanne had realized early on that being a lesbian was not well accepted in her line of business, and she had learned to keep it to herself. But these people accepted it and even fought for it's acceptance from others. She watched intently. She brushed the interest off on her lawyer side wanting more information, thought she secretly knew that what she wanted was her own acceptance.

The woman, whom Joanne assumed was Maureen, was now making some sort of rambling acceptance speech. She was talking loudly and gesturing animatedly with her hands. The speech was strange, and very random, beginning with thanking all her friends and talking about her next protest, then veering off about...cows of all things. She finally finished with an odd sort of pole dance combined with the robot, and climbed off the table among the cheers and pats on the back from her friends.

But as Maureen was stepping down off the table, she turned, almost as though she had felt eyes on her. Her gaze locked with Joanne's and Joanne flushed and quickly ducked her head. She took a hasty gulp of cocoa, wincing when it burned going down. She hoped that her retreat had been hasty enough, but as the heard boots clomping over to her table, she knew that it had not worked.

**Next chapter: I got the info wrong in the last one. _This_ time it's meet the Bohos! She actually gets introductions this time! Lucky Joanne.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Fine, not much longer, but at least it's an update! Ya'll gotta bear with me, cause I'm getting ready for competitions and stuff like that. I'm _really_ busy, and I haven't had much time to work on this. Anyways, on with the show...er...story!**

Joanne tensed when she heard Maureen hop off the table and clomp over to where she was sitting, drinking her cocoa and trying to look as innocent as possible. She prayed that Maureen wasn't actually heading in her direction, that she normally strolled around the café and would bypass Joanne's table entirely. Her prayer wasn't answered though, and the clomping stopped right next to her table.

"Hi!" Maureen said, plopping down in the seat opposite her. "Are you here alone?" She looked around for someone else. She looked towards the door and the bathroom, and even peered into Joanne's cup, almost as if she was expecting someone to pop out of the half-drunk cocoa. Satisfied that there was no one else, she looked back to Joanne, who was trying to avoid meeting her eyes.

Joanne was nervous. This woman was exceptionally pretty, and she had singled her out. Joanne had never liked being the center of attention, other than in the courtroom, and now she suddenly was. Glancing over at Maureen's table, she saw that all her friends were watching what was going on between them with rapt attention. Her heart was racing, and she felt lightheaded and stupid.

"No, I'm not with anyone," Joanne muttered, trying desperately to keep from stuttering, though her voice still shook. All she wanted was to get away from the whole situation. Away from Maureen and her hypnotizing green eyes, away from the Bohos who were watching her so closely, away from she Life Café and into the cold New York night where she wouldn't feel so flustered and warm.

Maureen, on the other hand, seemed not to notice Joanne's awkwardness. "But that's not any fun!" she said, grabbing Joanne's hand and dragging her out of her seat. Joanne just managed to snag her cocoa when she was taken over to Maureen's table. The man with the scarf turned his camera on them as they approached.

"And who's this Maureen?" he asked, peering at them through the camera. _Great,_ Joanne thought. _He's filming the whole thing..._

"This is...um," Maureen faltered for a second, then started again. "This is my friend...shit." She turned to Joanne, who's name she had never actually asked, and who's hand she still held. "What was your name again?"

Joanne felt herself flush as the man focused his camera on her. She could almost feel him zooming in on her face, though there was, of course, no way that she could have known. She replied in a nervous mumble, wishing that they would all stop staring at her. She felt like she was the person on the stand in court, as opposed to being the interrogator.

"Joanne!" Maureen exclaimed, as though she had known all along and Joanne had only refreshed her memory. "This is my friend Joanne!" There were hellos, and scattered introductions across the table, but the night was already so jumbled to Joanne, that she knew she wouldn't remember their names in five minutes.

**Next chapter: Adventures with the Bohos! Maybe Joanne will actually learn some names this time...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ta-daa! I think this is the fastest update I've had so far! But, either way, this chapter was fun to write. Hope you enjoy!**

Maureen plopped down in one of the chairs, dragging Joanne down with her. The arm that she had had around Joanne's shoulders brushed across her hips and back before retreating back to it's owner, making Joanne shudder involuntarily at the sensation, though she really had no idea why she was feeling this way. She didn't even know Maureen, but she liked being so close to the woman, feeling oddly warm in her presence.

"Are you cold?" Maureen asked her, ironically. Joanne silently cursed the fact that Maureen had suddenly become observant at the worst moment possible.

She shook her head, and Maureen shrugged, turning back to her friends. Joanne soon discovered that Maureen was very animated in her usual conversations, not just when she was standing on a table making a speech. Because of this, their shoulders would occasionally brush, and Joanne was having a hard time ignoring the tingly, warm sensations that radiated out from the spot.

"Marky!" Maureen suddenly cooed across the table at the man with the scarf. Joanne snapped out of her daze to pay attention to what was going on. "You're gonna waste away behind that camera you know." She had a mock serious expression on her face, but Joanne could tell from her eyes that this was something she told Mark all the time, playfully.

Mark turned his camera on Maureen, obviously intending to film her admonishment, but instead, she reached across the table and stole it. He made a grab for it, but was a second too late, as Maureen snatched it and was up on the table once again. People all along the table moved glasses and plates to make room for her, laughing and egging her on all the while.

Through she was missing the feeling of Maureen sitting next to her, Joanne was highly amused as she filmed the empty booths, the table, her friends close up and upside down, and finally, the ceiling.

"You're going to break it!" Mark whined, clambering up onto the table after her. He tried to take the camera, but Maureen did an odd little pirouette out of his grasp and stopped, facing him.

"Hi Marky! Say hi Mark!" she called out to him, still evading his grasp. The slowly made their way down the length of the table, Mark whining and frantically swiping at his camera, and Maureen dodging him every time, looking through the eyepiece and not where she was going. Finally, dodging him one last time and ending up a little too close to the edge of the table, Maureen tumbled off and out of sight with a shriek of surprise.

Joanne and the Bohos jumped up and ran to where Maureen was lying on the floor, laughing. The camera was unharmed, still in her grasp and perfectly safe, having landed on top of her rather than underneath. Mark, however, was as pale and shaky as if he had seen a ghost.

"Maureen!" he cried, taking the camera from her quickly. "Don't ever do that again! My poor camera." He headed back to his seat, hugging his camera, and actually cooing to it. Joanne suppressed a laugh, feeling that the time was inappropriate, though funny.

After a few minutes, Maureen had made it back to her seat, and everyone seemed back to normal again. That is, except Mark, who was still hugging his camera possessively and jumping if anyone touched him or spoke to him. Maureen was a bit subdued after her fall, but it didn't last long. Soon she was back to talking again, though she winced when she had to shift in her chair.

"So how do you know Maureen?" a young, Spanish looking woman sitting across from Joanne asked, taking her a bit by surprise.

"Um," Joanne managed, after swallowing some of her cocoa. "I don't actually." She grinned sheepishly, feeling suddenly as though she were intruding on the group.

"Oh, don't worry Sugar," someone a few seats down said, reaching across people to pat her hand. Joanne followed the arm to see someone she hadn't noticed earlier, a cross-dresser. She wasn't terribly surprised after what she had seen of the group so far, though it wasn't something she saw often. "That's Maureen for you, it's normal. If she acted any differently, we would be afraid she was sick. I'm Angel by the way."

Maureen stuck her tongue out, having heard what Angel had said, but the cross-dresser just smiled back. Joanne, however, was wondering what she had managed to get herself into.

**Next chapter: The Bohos are tired, but Maureen doesn't want Joanne to go home alone on Christmas. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Alrighties, here's a new chapter. We're getting into the part where I don't have it pre-writtien. With these chapters, I've been editing and changing what I already wrote, but from the next chapter on, I'm having to write it from scratch. So bear with me as I get chapters out, ok?**

**Also, wish me luck, cause I have a competition Saturday:D I'm so excited!**

After quite a while, the talk at the Boho's table had died considerably. Mark wasn't filming anymore. In fact, he wasn't even cuddling his camera anymore; it was sitting on the table in front of him as he stared off into space. Mimi, as Joanne had come to learn was the Spanish girl's name, was dozing on and off against Roger's shoulder, who she had also finally been properly introduced to. Angel had started playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with the man who had gotten up on the table earlier, Collins. Maureen had produced a pen from who-knows-where and was doodling on the table cloth with one hand, while her other arm had come to rest lazily around Joanne's shoulders. Joanne, once again, was having a hard time concentrating on anything, due to the drowsiness she was feeling, and the tingling from where Maureen's arm rested.

"I'm tired," Angel finally announced, looking up from her game with Collins, having won most of the rounds, to Collins's dismay. "Shall we call it a night?"

The rest nodded their consent and slowly began collecting their belongings. Joanne took this opportunity to check the time. Her watch told her that it was after 2:00 in the morning, and that Christmas was officially over. She was a little surprised by this, and wasn't looking forward to a walking home alone this late. Next to her, Maureen signed her doodle with a flourish, and tucked her pen safely away, yawning.

"Do you have anywhere to go?" Mark asked Joanne suddenly, finally paying attention to his surroundings. Joanne nodded, thinking disappointedly of her lonely little apartment.

"The question is, are you going home to anybody?" Collins inquired, making Joanne suddenly feel as though she were the subject of an interview. She tried to tell herself that this was the reason she was blushing, and not because Maureen had just wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Well, no," she admitted, her heart sinking at the thought. She was going home, to an empty apartment, leaving the rowdy Bohos behind. It made her feel depressed. After spending the evening with such a rowdy crowd, her apartment seemed very bland and disheartening.

"Then you're coming with us," Maureen announced loudly, startling Joanne and making her jump.

She looked around to see that Maureen had an extremely defiant look on her face.

"I-I can't. I have to...my cat..." she stuttered lamely, unable to think of a better excuse to get the Bohos off her back.

"That's silly, a cat can take care of itself. If it gets hungry, it'll tear open the food bag. If it's thirsty, it'll drink out of the toilet. And if it's bored, it'll tear up the furniture. Problem solved," Maureen gave her a wicked grin. "Come on, you know you don't want to go home to no one but a cat on Christmas." She gave Joanne a pout that sent those now familiar tingles through her again.

When Joanne didn't move, Maureen stepped forward, and pushed her. Joanne stumbled and headed for the door; Maureen was surprisingly strong.

"I guess that's that," Collins remarked, watching amusedly as Maureen guided a protesting Joanne out of the Life Café. He felt a little sorry for her; Maureen could be overbearing when she wanted something, and Collins could tell that Maureen had taken an immediate liking to Joanne. He didn't quite understand why. The two seemed like they were complete opposites. _But then again,_ he thought. _They do say that opposites attract._

The group headed out into the cold, and everyone turned in the opposite direction of Joanne's home. She paused for a moment, hopping from one foot to another, trying to decide whether to go with them or to go home, but Maureen grabbed her arm and continued on, leading Joanne to what she was sure was her impending doom.

**Next chapter: Joanne enters Bohemia.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okies! Here we go. Aren't you proud of me for updating? **

**I wanted to go ahead and thank my reviewers! I really wasn't expecting to get much response from this story, but ya'll sure did change that! Thank-you for putting up with how slow I am as well. :D**

The group walked for a while, and the streets and neighborhood got steadily worse. Soon they came to a run-down neighborhood. The Boho's apartment loomed ahead, and Joanne had to crane her neck to see the top. It was very tall.

"Come on, I live at the top," Maureen sounded like a child excited about going to the top floor of a building. "Mark, Roger, and Collins live there too. Mimi lives right below us, and Angel lives right below her." She grinned delightedly at the look on Joanne's face.

"You live with three guys?" Joanne was mildly shocked. She supposed it wasn't such a horrible thing, but it had taken her off guard. She had been brought up learning that it wasn't proper for a woman to live with men like that. But then again, that was her parents. These peoples' standards seemed completely different from what she had grown up with.

"Actually, two. Collins is only staying for a little while until they fix up Angel's apartment and he can move in," Maureen told her, once again gesturing widely with her hands. Joanne found the habit oddly endearing, as long as she remembered to stay at a safe distance for fear of being hit.

Joanne shook her head as she allowed herself to be dragged upstairs to the flat Maureen was staying in. The elevator was broken, and by the way Maureen and the rest of the group bypassed it without a word, Joanne could tell that it didn't run very often. The rest of the building didn't look like it was in much better shape.

Maureen opened the sliding metal door and led Joanne inside. The apartment wasn't fancy; not by a long-shot. The furniture was old, and the couch was losing some of it's stuffing. A battered guitar sat on a stand in the corner, and before Joanne could wonder who it belonged to, Roger went over and began to tune it.

After a few moments, Mimi yawned loudly again as a reminder that she was tired and wanted to go home. Angel grinned at her and turned to the rest of the group.

"I think Meems here is about to fall asleep standing up. We'd better get home Collins," she told them, taking Mimi's arm, as she had started swaying. Collins crossed the room and gave Angel a goodnight kiss, and Roger followed suit with Mimi. Smiling, Angel turned and guided the almost asleep Mimi out, and Collins shut the door behind them.

"Now," he said, turning around and putting a hand on Maureen's shoulder. "Maureen, it's your job to show Joanne here around and find where she is going to sleep. I'm going to bed." He turned to Joanne. "Not to be rude or anything, but I'm exhausted." He ruffled Joanne's hair as though she were a child, gave Maureen a kiss on the cheek, turned, and disappeared through one of the doors.

For a few moments, the silence was only broken by Roger's guitar as everyone stood around drowsily. Roger and Mark soon followed Collins's example and headed off to their beds. Maureen and Joanne were the only two left in the main room now, and Joanne felt suddenly awkward. Now that there wasn't the whole noisy group from the Life there, it was a little quiet, and she could feel her heart speed up again. She slowly looked up at Maureen, who was looking back at her.

"Come on," Maureen said, jerking her head in the direction of another door. Joanne followed warily, not really trusting Maureen. But if she didn't want to walk home this late, then she had to have faith that Maureen wouldn't harm her.

Maureen's room was small and messy. There was a mattress shoved in and sitting right on the floor. Clothes were strewn everywhere, the biggest pile originating from the closet. It looked to Joanne like Maureen regularly threw stuff all around looking for what to wear.

She carefully picked her way through the clothes and sat on Maureen's bed. Maureen turned and looked at her for a moment before spreading her arms wide.

"Welcome to my room," she grinned, kicking some clothes aside and coming to sit next to Joanne. She looked her over for a second before jumping up as though someone had lit a fire beneath her. "You're going to need something to wear, aren't you?"

Joanne looked down at herself and realized that she didn't have anything to sleep in. She was afraid of what Maureen might give her to wear, but on the other hand, she wasn't too keen on sleeping in her jeans. "Yes, I suppose I do," she replied.

Maureen suddenly grinned the sort of grin that normally makes a person fear for their life. But Joanne was beginning to get used to it by now, and only jumped a few inches off the bed, rather than a foot. Maureen, once again, seemed not to notice, and began rooting through the piles on her floor. She tossed clothes in all directions, and Joanne had to duck as skirts, pants, shirts, and underwear all came flying in her direction.

"Ah ha!" came a triumphant cry from somewhere behind an unused dresser. Maureen emerged, holding up an oversized T-shirt and some shorts. "I knew they were in there somewhere. I was starting to get worried that the bed had eaten them like last time!" She tossed the clothes at a thoroughly confused Joanne, and pointed out her door. "The bathroom is out there on the right."

Joanne headed out into the Bohemians' loft on her quest for the bathroom. She wondered if maybe she could get lost on her way, and so not have to face an entire night alone with Maureen.

**Next chapter: Maureen and Joanne may actually have a real conversation, and maybe even find out some unexpected facts about each other...**


	9. Chapter 9

**I am SO sorry this took so long. But you know what I realized? Conversations are hard to write! It's tough to get everything down without making it sound like a list, but also not getting it so detailed that it's confusing. But thanks for bearing with me! This should be the next to last chapter. Also, can anyone pick up the reference to the movie **_**The Princess Bride **_**in here?**

Joanne made her way back from the bathroom slowly, not wanting to run into anything in the Boho's dark apartment. She didn't know where the light switches were, and she didn't want to wake anyone, so she carefully picked her way through until she came to Maureen's room. The light was still glowing from underneath the door, so Joanne couldn't hope that Maureen had somehow miraculously fallen asleep already.

Joanne took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open. Maureen was hanging upside down off the side of her bed eating something. She offered it to Joanne, and she realized that it was a bar of chocolate.

"Want some?" Maureen asked with her mouth full, waving her hand at Joanne. Joanne took it and sat on the bed next to Maureen, who's face was red when she sat up. "Have some, I swear it's not poisoned."

Joanne gave her an unsure look before breaking some of the chocolate off. It tasted normal, so she hoped that there wasn't anything in it.

"So," Maureen said loudly, flopping back over on the bed. "Tell me about yourself."

Joanne, who hadn't been expecting this question, looked over at Maureen. "Excuse me?" She managed through a mouthful of chocolate.

"You do realize I don't know you at all, right?" Maureen propped herself up on her elbows and raised an eyebrow at Joanne. Joanne couldn't help but think about how she didn't know Maureen either, and it seemed politer for Maureen to introduce herself a little better before demanding that Joanne do so. But, then again, this was Maureen. "All I know is that you seem to have a liking for chocolate." Maureen gestured to the chocolate in Joanne's hand.

Joanne slowly put the chocolate down and stared at Maureen. "What do you want to know?" She asked, not knowing where to start.

Maureen paused for a moment, contemplating. "I don't know," she finally said. "Er, what do you do for a living?" She sat up cross-legged on the bed and gave Joanne a cute smile.

"I'm a lawyer," Joanne said, immediately regretting it when she realized that Maureen would think that it was a boring profession.

Sure enough, Maureen had a very dull look on her face and flatly said, "That's nice." Joanne could tell that she didn't mean it. "What do you do for fun?" She asked, obviously hoping to get a more interesting response out of the lawyer.

"Fun?" Joanne asked, not really knowing what to say in response to that. If she had thought the lawyer answer was dull, she could imagine Maureen's reaction to this one.

"Yes, fun!" Maureen insisted, bouncing a little as an emphasis, and making Joanne a little uneasy again.

Joanne smiled sheepishly and replied. "I go over to my parents' house for dinner sometimes." She couldn't stop herself from flinching when Maureen playfully whacked her on the shoulder.

"What kind of person are you?" she exploded, falling over dramatically and covering her eyes. "Don't you do _anything_ more interesting than that?" She groaned loudly. "You're a worse case than I thought, you know that?"

Joanne glared at Maureen, though it wasn't acknowledged because Maureen still had an arm thrown over her eyes. "Well," Joanne started. "If you know so much about fun, then what do you do?"

Maureen uncovered her face and looked at Joanne like she was crazy. "I go to the Life with the group."

Joanne was oddly surprised. It seemed to her that someone like Maureen would lead an exciting life. "Is that all?"

Maureen sat thinking for a moment. "I protest," she said, musingly. "That's fun. Now it's my turn. Do you date?"

The topic was straying to a subject that Joanne found uncomfortable at the moment; being in such close quarters with Maureen and still feeling rather warm. So she dismissed the question with a casual, "Not at the moment."

Maureen surprised her by saying, "Me neither." Maureen struck her as the type of person who would have had many boyfriends. "I mean I was," she stuttered, suddenly awkward. "But not now."

Joanne shook her head. "I don't much." Even in New York, it was hard to find someone like her. So she didn't date much, and even when she did, it usually turned out disastrous.

Maureen shrugged. "I fool around. It's your turn."

Joanne was surprised again. "We're taking turns now?" She asked, unsure of when this had been established.

"You weren't telling me anything," Maureen said. "Ask a question."

"Okay," Joanne thought for a moment before asking, "What do you do for a living?"

Maureen grinned. "I protest," she said again, happily. Joanne could tell that this was something that she liked a lot.

"As in a job?" she asked. She had never heard of protesting as a job, but with this group you could never tell.

Maureen snorted. "I don't get payed, if that's what you're asking. I do it because I like to. There are things that need changing around here."

Joanne was puzzled and looked around, almost as though she was looking for an explanation. "Then how do you pay for this loft?"

Maureen smiled bitterly. "We don't," she said. Usually Benny's decent enough to let us stay here. If not, we stay without power."

Joanne grimaced. "Sounds cheery."

"No shit," Maureen muttered, rolling her eyes. "Ny turn. What's your orientation?"

Joanne was surprised by this question, and looked at Maureen with wide eyes. Maureen was grinning at her. "Excuse me?"

Maureen rolled her eyes again. "You keep saying that. I don't think it means what you think it means."

Joanne paused. "Okay," she said cautiously.

Maureen stared at her for a few moments, before finally asking impatiently, "Are you going to answer the question?"

"What was the question again?"

Maureen gave her a 'look.' "You're stalling, aren't you?" She asked.

"No I'm not!" Joanne said, mock hurt.

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you _are_," Maureen said, emphatically. "Answer the question. What's your orientation?"

"Er."

Maureen rolled her eyes for the third time since the conversation had started. "Do you want me to go first?" She sighed.

"Um."

"I'll take that as a yes," Maureen gave her a wicked grin. "I'm bi. I'll date either," She said "Now answer the question!"

Joanne was startled by the loud announcement. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before replying, "I don't normally date men." She sucked in a breath, realizing what she had said. "I don't normally date," she corrected herself quickly.

Maureen grinned. "So you're a lesbian."

Joanne shrugged before finally giving in. "I suppose you could say that, yes."

Maureen put her hands on Joanne's shoulders and gave her a little shake. "There, that wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"Yes it was," Joanne said, obstinately.

Maureen groaned and let her hands drop. "You're hopeless," she said. "It's your turn."

Joanne was still rattled from her new discoveries, and didn't know how to reply. "I'm tired," she said, though she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep now. Especially with Maureen in the same bed.

"That wasn't a question," Maureen said, emphatically.

"Your point?"

Maureen sighed, clearly frustrated again. "My point is that you were supposed to ask a question."

Joanne paused, before finally childishly replying, "What if I don't want to?"

"Then what are we going to do?" Maureen asked, flopping back on the bed again.

"Sleep."

Maureen looked at her upside down. "You," she said, pointing at Joanne, "are no fun."

Joanne sighed, rolling her eyes. "So I've heard."

Maureen mock glared at her from her place on the bed. "We might just have to fix that, you know." She informed her, nodding.

"I'm scared."

"You should be," Maureen said, grinning evilly and upside down at Joanne. "Ask a question."

Joanne could see that she wasn't going to get away with not asking a question. "What kind of movies do you like?"

Maureen replied. "I like all kinds of movies. But if I watch a really scary one I can't sleep. I watch them anyway though. You?"

"I like all types too," Joanne said.

"Want to go see one sometime?" Maureen asked.

Joanne looked down at her, surprised. Maureen was suddenly looking up at her with a very serious expression, Joanne's heart started pounding, and she mentally cursed the blush she felt spreading across her face. "Alright." a smile spread across Maureen's face, and Joanne couldn't help but smile back. It was contagious.

"My turn!" Maureen exclaimed, but before she could get her question out, it was stopped by a huge yawn. She tried to stifle it, but it was no use. Joanne had seen.

"Ha!" she pointed at Maureen, who was just trying to stop another yawn. "You're tired too."

Maureen rolled her eyes. "Ok, fine, I am tired. Happy?" She sat up and crawled past Joanne, their shoulders brushing. She snuggled under the blankets and looked up at Joanne. "Are you going to get in the bed, or am I gonna have to come out there and get you?"

**Maureen's awfully abrupt, isn't she? **

**Next chapter: Bed time for Maureen and Joanne. :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok...for one thing, I'm really sorry that this took so long. My inspiration seems to have completely died recently. For another thing, I don't feel that this is very good, and I don't feel that it's long enough either. But like I said, my inspiration has disappeared, so I'm sorry. Heh, anyways, one with the story. Hope it's not as bad as I feel that it is...**

**I'm also going to restate that I don't own Rent. **

Joanne paused. The abruptness of Maureen's decision hadn't given her time to think. She wasn't sure if she should actually get in the bed, or offer to go sleep on the couch. Maureen seemingly read her mind, and said, "You're sleeping in here with me whether you like it or not, so don't even think about the couch. It's not comfortable for sleeping anyway. It has lumps." She grinned up at Joanne and patted the place next to her.

Joanne sighed in defeat and crawled under the covers. Maureen's bed was not very big, so Joanne settled on the very edge of it.

"You're gonna fall off," she heard Maureen's voice from somewhere behind her. Joanne pretended that she had not heard. She didn't think that she could be any closer to Maureen in bed without a very sleepless night.

The result of this decision, however, proved worse than if she had actually moved in the first place. She felt the bed move as Maureen scooted closer, then jumped when she felt her wrap her arms around her waist. Maureen pulled her closer then said, "There, now you won't fall off."

Joanne didn't say anything, and waited for Maureen to let go. She didn't. "Maureen?" Joanne asked hesitantly.

"Yes?" she heard Maureen murmur from behind her.

"Were you going to..." she cleared her throat and began again. "Were you going to let go?"

"No."

Joanne closed her eyes and sighed, before trying again. "I would really be able to relax better if you would let go," she said, hoping that she would let go.

"But you'll fall off," came the reply from behind her.

"I promise I won't fall off. Now will you please let me go?"

The arm around her waist started to withdraw, but then Maureen grabbed her again, tighter than before. "I don't want to."

Joanne took in a deep breath, and rolled over. She really didn't want to, but she felt that talking face to face was needed here.

To her surprise, Maureen wasn't looking defiant like she had expected. She looked timid, and almost...scared?

"Maureen?" she said, a little concerned. This wasn't the Maureen she had come to know over the last few hours. "Are you okay?"

Maureen nodded, but her arm tightened around Joanne. Their noses were almost touching now. Joanne was nervous; This was much closer than she wanted to get to Maureen. She liked her, but the close proximity worried her.

"Are you sure?" she asked. This behavior was really starting to alarm her.

Maureen opened her eyes and looked at Joanne, and to her surprise, her eyes were filled with tears. "I'm just scared that tomorrow you're gonna leave and I'll never see you again," Maureen said, scooting closer and putting her head against Joanne's shoulder. "You're not going to leave me, are you?"

Joanne was taken completely off guard by this. She slowly put her arms around Maureen, then hugged her tightly. "I'm not going to leave," she reassured. "What makes you think that?"

She felt Maureen shrug. "Everyone I've ever 'been with' has left after a day or so. I've never had anyone actually stay with me. I don't know if I'm too annoying or what, but I've never actually had a serious relationship. Well, maybe one, but it didn't last very long. I was hoping that maybe this time it would be different."

Joanne smiled slightly, pressing a light kiss to Maureen's forehead. "I'll stay with you," she told her. "I'm not going to leave."

She felt Maureen smile against her shoulder. "Promise?"

"Promise," Joanne said, hugging Maureen close. 'Joanne,' she thought. 'What are you getting yourself into?'

Soon, Maureen had drifted off to sleep against Joanne's shoulder. Joanne was soon to follow, but before she did, she swore to herself that she wouldn't leave Maureen. She didn't know how, but she realized that she had fallen hard for the drama queen. There was no way she could leave her now.

Joanne slowly fell asleep, feeling more contented than she had in a long time.

**Okies! That was the last chapter! How was it? Hopefully it wasn't too terrible. Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed this story. You made me happy! :)  
**


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